I was barely lucid for the 90s. What did I miss in alternative rock?

[Real]

I grew up primarily in the mid-2000s on hip hop, R&B, pop, and smatterings of classic rock whenever the radio would put me on.

Tonight, I was listening to random Apple Music radios when I came across two songs that popped up when I mistapped rock instead of hip hop.




Damn, these songs are GOOD. I feel like I missed out on an entire genre.

what other songs did I miss?!

 

[amphteamints]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyPavIQnaOc

 

[Kevers]

Start blasting some Stone Temple Pilots.

 

[Real]

Start blasting some Stone Temple Pilots.

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Okay - I see their album "Core" listed as an essential album. Is that the case?

 

[Kevers]

Okay - I see their album "Core" listed as an essential album. Is that the case?

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Great album to start with. Tiny Music, Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop and Purple should be a follow up.

Gish by Smashing Pumpkins as well.

 

[ImpendingFoil]

 

[kingslunk]

Soundgarden - Superunknown (the album)

 

[ferma]

Gruntruck, Push.

 

[TheBaldEmperor]

Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness by the Smashing Pumpkins. Here's one song from the album.

 

[BLEEN]

dEUS' The Ideal Crash

 

[collige]

The obvious choice is Nirvana because Pixies were a big influence on Kurt Cobain and then Dave Grohl formed the Foo Fighters after he died. From there, I would check out the rest of the big grunge bands like Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, STP, etc. Pixies were more of an 80's band though, they got grouped together with some other alternative bands as "college rock".

 

[affeinvasion]

If you dig The Pixes you'll like the Toadies. They're basically the Texas Pixies.


Of all the Seattle bands my favorite is Alice in Chains:


Some awesome alt-rock ladies out there too like PJ Harvey:

 

[angelgrievous]

Smog
Silver Jews
Pavement

 

[TheCuriousdabber]

Alice in Chains MTV Unplugged

 

[Kevers]

Pavement

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Yeah Pavement

add Cracker's Kerosene Hat as well.

 

[meph]

The obvious choice is Nirvana because Pixies were a big influence on Kurt Cobain and then Dave Grohl formed the Foo Fighters after he died. From there, I would check out the rest of the big grunge bands like Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, STP, etc. Pixies were more of an 80's band though, they got grouped together with some other alternative bands as "college rock".

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Can't talk about any of this part of 90s music without Seattle grunge. Look into all of the bands listed.

 

[samred]

One option: get the soundtrack from the early '90s movie Singles. I was a pre-teen when that came out, and it was an all-in-one grunge primer CD. Made me want to get pretty much every band on it, including Smashing Pumpkins, Mudhoney, Pearl Jam, and two bands I'll pull out as YT embeds. First is Screaming Trees, whose lead singer Mark Lanegan still makes a ton of music, but you'll wanna go with their song from Singles:



Mother Love Bone was the progenitor for a ton of the Seattle Sound, and this 8-minute blend of two songs is... it's so damned good:



(The movie isn't really that good. But I live in Seattle and love connecting this film to places they filmed here.)

 

[Poppy]

pixies - doolittle

 

[Yossarian]

 

[Fiction]

 

[naib]

pixies - doolittle

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[PassiveObserver]

Post-hardcore had its golden period in the 90s.
Drive Like Jehu
Polvo
Unwound
Shellac
Don Cabellero
Jawbox
Rodan
Slint
At The Drive In

 

[BringBackSonics]

Smashing pumpkins. Siamese Dream and Mellon Collie.

 

[PirateHearts]

I can't think of a more '90s song than Dishwalla's "Counting Blue Cars."




Better Than Ezra's "In the Blood" is also a favorite of mine (and far better than their big hit "Good" imo):

 

[Yossarian]

Post-hardcore had its golden period in the 90s.
Drive Like Jehu
Polvo
Unwound
Shellac
Don Cabellero
Jawbox
Rodan
Slint
At The Drive In

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Oh, so you're what Good People looks like.

 

[naib]

people plugging pavement and slanted and enchanted is one of the greatest albums of all time. I agree.

but this is one of my favorite breakup songs of all time:


edit: I guess no one said slanted and enchanted but I just assumed
edit again:

Smashing pumpkins. Siamese Dream and Mellon Collie.

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if I could wear out a cd I would've worn out siamese dream

 

[Mr.Arrow]

Pavement
Dinosaur Jr
Sonic Youth
Sebadoh
Smashing Pumpkins
Ween
Mr.Bungle

all of these bands are great

 

[Jokerman]

The massively underrated The Afghan Whigs.

Gentlemen album first, then the rest from that era.

 

[Unicorn]

Posies
Mercury Rev
Yo La Tengo
Pinback
Les Savy Fav
Mew
Sun City Girls
Kasabian


For a few lesser known or indie rock, indie alt, etc

 

[BarryFishFinger]

Does Bush count? I used to love Sixteen stone in the late 90s.

 

[killuglypop]

Post-hardcore had its golden period in the 90s.
Drive Like Jehu
Polvo
Unwound
Shellac
Don Cabellero
Jawbox
Rodan
Slint
At The Drive In

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This poster gets it, add in Swirlies, Duster, Codeine, Hoover etc. You could literally trawl and plumb the depths of the 90s underground forever. And then theres the emo side of the things. I will forever love Polvo

 

[ultramooz]

Seconding the classics - Pixies, Sebadoh, Pavement, Sonic youth

one hit wonder : Drop nineteens - Delaware


Also the early albums by Mercury Rev are weird and cool - crazy mix of saturated guitars, trumpets and pan flute...

 

[Waits]

I'd recommend Fugazi.



And Guided by Voices

 

[Stranger Things]

Best band from the 90s was/is Alice In Chains. Listen to their albums "Dirt" and "Jar of Flies"

some other good stuff:

 

[Deleted member 25606]

White Zombie's La Sexorcisto and Astro Creep 2000 are pretty essential, as is Nine inch Nails entire 90's output.

 

[julia crawford]

You never listened to Everlong? That's impossible.

Anyway you should listen to Ok Computer i think. It's my personal favourite from Radiohead and it's my de facto 90's feel.

 

[Red UFO]

Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness by the Smashing Pumpkins. Here's one song from the album.

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Yea boi

 

[tulpa]

my favorite is Pavement. one of the greatest American rock bands

 

[Midee]

Try Kyuss for some meaty desert rock and baby Josh Homme

 

[TooFriendly]

Oh do you mean you were too young in the 90s?
I was barely lucid in the 90s, but not because I was too young.
You should check out the melvins. Their album stoner witch is amazing.



You put up some pixies I love them. You might like albums from members of the pixies.

 

[Kevers]

 

[LossAversion]

How about some modern songs that have a 90's vibe?








As I've grown older I've also grown to love this sound more and more. It's so raw and nostalgic.

 

[Lowrys]

You missed Siamese Dream, the greatest album in my opinion. That guitar tone is out of this world.

 

[OnkelC]

Monster Magnet might be of interest as well:

 

[Deleted member 2317]

Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness by the Smashing Pumpkins. Here's one song from the album.

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This (double) album saves lives!

 

[Celine]

Jeff Buckley - Grace (live):

 

[devenger]

Please at least throw in some Primus, but only Seas of Cheese or Frizzle Fry. And sprinkle in some Too Much Joy, Ned's Atomic Dustbin, and Wonderstuff.

Id go easy on the grunge... mebbe Faith No More's Angel Dust if youre feeling adventurous.

 

[MorningDew]

I consider the 90s to be the start of the alt rock genre but what do you call bands of the 80s like The Smiths, REM? I guess they're still alt-rock but I don't remember that term being used in the 80s. Maybe Indie rock?

 

[mrchad]

I consider the 90s to be the start of the alt rock genre but what do you call bands of the 80s like The Smiths, REM? I guess they're still alt-rock but I don't remember that term being used in the 80s. Maybe Indie rock?

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College rock?

 

[Turin]